-No one walks into a room full of people looking at their phone and thinks, ‘this is wonderful’.
-When you can’t think of it don’t pick up your phone.
-The video is not worth looking up mid conversation.
-At airports I look over peoples’ shoulders to see what they’re looking at…it’s all the same stuff.
Just because you miss it doesn’t mean you should go back.
It’s an honor and blessing to miss something. It’s not a reminder of what’s come and gone as much as it reminds us of the warmth and connection and inspiration that is possible as we move forward with the next thing.
Seasons have predictable starts and ends…with some type of cycle…
Christmas
Tax time
Touring season
A Phase is something you move through on your way to the next. There’s a start and end but there’s no plan for it to come back around again…
Raising a toddler
Starting a business
Moving into a new house
Norms have blurry beginnings and unnoticeable endings…or they end because a definite decision is made to change it…
Working 80hrs a week
Scrolling social media
Eating a particular diet
If you’re caught in a norm that isn’t beneficial, it’s not helpful to think of it as a season or phase…there’s no pre-written ending coming to save you. It’s up to you.
If you’re in a phase, embrace the finite-ness of it, the good and the bad. It won’t be like this forever.
As for seasons, the next one is coming and this one is coming back. Seasons are the rhythm of your life. Some of them we pick and choose. Some of them are set in our laps.
Guitars and G chords weren’t invented in the 1960s…that’s just when they got popular.
Six string guitars with standard tuning go back hundreds of years. They predate even the notion of pop music (and fame).
So the inventors and innovators weren’t trying to come up with something to get famous…they were coming up with things that were helpful and could spread. If we all have a guitar that kinda looks like this and has about six strings and they’re tuned like this…it’ll be more fun when we get together. And we can start our own musical language that’s easy to learn.
After walking on stage, James Brown would take off his jacket before even getting to the mic stand.
Was he cold and then got too hot?
Did he suddenly decide he didn’t like it?
Maybe he just forget to take it off in the green room?
No.
If he didn’t start with the jacket on, then the people wouldn’t be able to see him take it off. And what does taking off a jacket signal?
It’s time to go to work.
The CEO gives high value to the Director’s opinion.
The Director to the Department Heads.
The Department Heads to the Managers.
The Managers to the Supervisors.
The Supervisors to the Workers.
And the workers are trying to impress whoever is at reception.
If the receptionist doesn’t like your music it’s a lot less likely the CEO will.